1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to (1) surgical means for removing a portion of a body which comprises means for applying a vacuum, or negative pressure, upon said portion of said body sufficient to move the same away from the remainder of said body adjacent thereto and means for cutting said portion of said body so moved to sever said portion of said body from the remainder of said body and (2) a process for applying a vacuum upon a portion of a body sufficient to move the same away from the remainder of said body adjacent thereto and then cutting said portion of said body so moved to sever said portion of said body from the remainder of said body.
2. Description of the Art
Portions of the body, within said body or on the surface thereof, are often removed therefrom for medical reasons or, in some cases, for aesthetic purposes. Examples of such portions that are removed are moles or nevus, corns, cysts and cancerous growths, as well as organs, such as gallbladders. It is common, for example when said materials to be removed are on the surface of the body, to carry out the process surgically by first treating the same with an anesthetic to reduce any pain or discomfort that may arise from such excision and then removing the same by cutting to a depth to remove all of the undesired material plus any associated components thereof, such as roots, etc. Such removal is difficult, time consuming, can require unnecessarily long recovery periods and can result in much patient discomfort. When such removal must be made in the interior of the body and especially when the removal of an internal organ, such as a gallbladder is involved, rather large openings must be made into the body interior, resulting in even greater operating difficulties and patient discomfort. Moreover, the removal must be complete, because leaving behind even very small portions of material to be removed can result in regrowth thereof.
In British Patent No. 965,111, Summersgill discloses a device for removing corns from a body comprising a manually-operated, suction-producing device having annular cutting means at its forward part for cutting the epidermis surrounding the corn, sot hat when suction is applied to the corn, by the suction-producing device, the corn will be raised against the cutting edge of the cutter, thus cutting the epidermis, and pulling out the portion of the epidermis, with the flesh attached thereto, within the area so cut, from the rest of the body.
Kirk in British Patent No. 351,314 discloses the use of a vacuum to extract growths and foreign matters, such as corns or bunions, from the body after a chiropodist has prepared the same to be extracted. How the chiropodist prepares the corn or bunion for extraction is not disclosed.
Niebel discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,405 a device for removing moles which comprises a spring-loaded plunger carrying a razor-like blade at the end thereof provided with means so that when the plunger is pressed downwardly the blade rotates about 180.degree. to penetrate the skin, thereby making an elliptical-shaped cut therethrough, thus excising the mole from the body.
Baye in German Patent DE removes unwanted particles on the skin, such as acne, by pressing on the acne and then removing the same by a combination of adhesion and suction.
Using the surgical device disclosed and claimed herein, we easily remove the undesired portion of the body from the remainder thereof adjacent thereto, by applying a vacuum on said portion of body sufficient to move the same away from the remainder of said body adjacent thereto and then cutting said portion of said body so moved to sever said portion of said body from the remainder of said body.